Shooting in New Orleans; Twelve-Year-Old Accused in Sister's Murder; Castro Brothers Speak Up

Aired May 12, 2013 - 16:00 ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

ALISON KOSIK, CNN ANCHOR: We begin with breaking news out of New Orleans. CNN affiliate WDSY is reporting that 10 to 12 people have been shot at the intersection of Frenchman and North Vilery Streets. We understand there was an informal mother's day parade going on here with some musicians and people on the street there. The people who were injured we were told have been taken to the hospital for treatment. As soon as we get more information on this we will update you with our information.

Also ahead from the "Newsroom," wrongly linked to a horrifying crime and now facing death threats on line, the brothers of kidnapping suspect Ariel Castro talk exclusively with CNN.

A break in the mysterious case of an eight-year-old girl stabbed to death in her California home. Investigators have arrested her 12- year-old brother. The shocking details straight ahead.

And if O.J. Simpson gets his way he'll be back in court. His new lawyer there was a problem with his trial. They want him to get a new one. We'll explain the whole story for you coming up in a few minutes.

But first Martin Savidge's exclusive interview with the brothers of kidnapping suspect Ariel Castro. Martin joins me live from Cleveland now. This, Martin, is the first time Pedro and Ariel Castro have spoken publicly. What did they tell you?

MARTIN SAVIDGE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: They have a remarkable story to tell, Alison. It goes all the way from the very first moments of being arrested to talking about what they knew, what went on inside the home. But the very first thing they wanted to talk about was how relieved, how thankful, how grateful they were that those women were now free and back with their families.

And then they wanted the world to know that they had nothing to do with what their brother did. Listen.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

SAVIDGE (On camera): Do you worry now that people will always suspect that you actually did have a role?

ONIL CASTRO, ACCUSED KIDNAPPER'S BROTHER: Absolutely.

PEDRO CASTRO, ACCUSED KIDNAPPER'S BROTHER: Yes. ONIL CASTRO: And the people out there that know me, they know that Onil Castro is not that person, has nothing to do with that. Would never even think of something like that. I was a very liked person, individual. I have never had any enemies. No reason for anybody to think that I would ever do something like that. It's a shock to all my friends. They couldn't believe it.

PEDRO CASTRO: Same. I couldn't never think of doing anything like that. If I knew that my brother was doing this, I would have - I would not - in a minute, I would call the cops. Because that isn't right. But yes, it's going to haunt me down because people are going to think, Pedro got something to do with this. Pedro don't have nothing to do with this. If I knew? I would have reported it. Brother or no brother.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

SAVIDGE: That's something they repeated over and over. They would have reported if they knew. They say their brother is now dead to them, that he is no longer considered part of their family.

Above all, they say that they are sorry for all that has happened but they were not part of it. There's so much more that they talk about and so much they get into, Alison, and we'll have the rest of it for you beginning tomorrow morning.

KOSIK: Yes, it is incredible that they are talking right now. How did this interview come about?

SAVIDGE: Well, it was a combination of factors. One, they like me, they like the way I do things and the way I report. They also like CNN and the way they do it. That was significant. Because their images, they know, have been shown around the world and that they were sort of cast into this mold of being described as a monster along with their brother.

So they wanted to make sure that they were able to talk to as many people to tell them they were not responsible and they knew that CNN was the best way to do it.

KOSIK: Well, we certainly will be watching for more. Martin Savidge, thanks.

And be sure to watch the full exclusive interview with Ariel Castro's two brothers. That will be happening tomorrow at 7:00 a.m. Eastern on CNN's "Starting Point."

We're also hearing today from the legal team representing the three women allegedly kept captive in Ariel Castro's home for almost a decade. The lawyers have volunteered to help the women for free. They are part of a pro bono team that includes public relations people and counselors. This morning the attorneys called a news conference to deliver a message from the women to their supporters.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) JIM WOOLEY, ATTORNEY REPRESENTING THE 3 CLEVELAND VICTIMS: Amanda Berry says, "Thank you so much for everything you're doing and continue to do. I am so happy to be home with my family." Gina Dejesus says, "I am so happy to be home, I want to thank everyone for all your prayers. I just want time now to be with my family." Michelle Knight says, "Thank you to everyone for your support and good wishes. I am healthy, happy and safe and will reach out to family, friends and supporters in good time."

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KOSIK: The legal team says the women will not be talking to the media until the case against Ariel Castro has been tried.

Dramatic new video now of police breaking down the door of Ariel Castro's home to free Michelle Knight and Gina DeJesus. Look at the cellphone video from CBS News. It was taken by a Cleveland woman named Jazmina Baldrich (ph). She and her friend, Ashley Cologne (ph) stopped Monday in front of the now infamous house when they saw squad cars and flashing lights.

The women who lived nearby told CNN affiliate, WEWS, they thought they were being pulled over. Instead, they got to witness one of the most dramatic hostage rescues in recent memory. Cologne (ph) told WEWS that Gina Dejesus was shaking, she was huddled together with the other survivors. The witnesses say Amanda Berry was "crying like she was amazed."

Back now to the breaking news out of New Orleans, CNN affiliate, WDSU is reporting a shooting in New Orleans today. Ten to 12 people have been shot at the intersection of Frenchman and North Villery Streets. It was a second parade, an informal festival of sorts for mother's day, happening on the street there. That's a residential area. Those who were injured are being taken to the hospital right now for treatment. As we get more information we'll update you with that new information.

An arrest now in the death of eight-year-old Leila Fowler is bringing even more heartache to her family. Authorities arrested Fowler's 12-year-old brother yesterday in connection with the homicide.

Dan Simon joins me now live from Valley Springs, California. Dan, when this investigation began two weeks ago, what did the brother tell police?

DAN SIMON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, he actually had several conversations with investigators in this office behind me. This is the sheriff's office here in Calaveras County. What we know is that the boy told police that he was alone with his sister. His parents were at a baseball game, a little league baseball game, and that he heard an intruder come into the house and he realized his sister was stabbed.

And then he saw an intruder, in his words, leaving the house. He described this man as being 6'0" with muscular build, gray hair. There was an all-out search to try to find this individual, a frantic search. This is a small community, 7,500 people. The town was obviously rattled. Now the fact they have arrested somebody, it eases feelings somewhat, people are glad that somebody was arrested but there is a lot of shock that it was in fact the brother.

Listen to what the sheriff had to say when he announced the brother's arrest. Take a look.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I did not want to believe it. You kind of thought so but it's not something you want to believe.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: When I went to kid's place he always went next door to talk to his sister and give her a hug.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SAVIDGE: Well, that's a little bit of the reaction coming from people who live in this community. It is hard to over state how people have felt here. As I said, it's very small. Hundreds of people attended the vigil. A lot of people in this community know the families so they took it very, very hard and obviously a lot of shock that in fact this 12-year-old boy has been arrested. What ultimately led authorities to make this arrest and charge him with murder we don't know. We don't know if there was DNA evidence, whether there might have been a confession. That we don't know. Of course we don't know motive yet either. Alison.

KOSIK: OK. Dan Simon, thank you.

A grizzly crime scene has shocked the small community of Waynesville, Indiana. Four bodies with gun shot wounds have been discovered in a house, three males in the living room, a female in the bedroom. Officials are calling it a quadruple homicide but no arrest has been made.

A three-day standoff has ended in New Jersey with a suspect dead and three hostages freed. Police got a call Friday to check on the woman who lived in the Trenton House with her boyfriend and five children. When the officers arrived the boyfriend grabbed three of her kids and held them hostage upstairs. Police burst in early this morning, killing the boyfriend, Gerald Tyrone Murphy. The mother and her 13-year-old son were already dead. Police say they believe they were killed two weeks ago. The woman's child fifth child who is 19 was hiding in the basement.

There is growing outrage over how the IRS treated Tea Party groups in the run-up to the presidential election. Top IRS officials knew as far back as 2011 that agents were singling out non-profit conservative group and making it harder for them to get tax exempt status.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. SUSAN COLLINS (R), SELECT COMMITTEE ON INTELLIGENCE: This is truly outrageous and it contributes to the profound mistrust that the American people have in government. It is absolutely chilling that the IRS was singling out conservative groups for extra review.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KOSIK: The details are contained in a new Treasury Department report that's expected to come out this week. Our Candy Crowley has more on this coming up in about 10 minutes from now.

More now in our breaking news out of New Orleans. CNN affiliate WDSE is reporting right now that 10 to 12 people have been shot at the intersection of Frenchman and North Villery Streets. They're being taken to the hospital for treatments. There was apparently an informal mother's day parade going on in this residential neighborhood where the shooting happened. We will update you with more information on the shooting as we get it.

She is a convicted murderer now on suicide watch but the Jodi Arias saga not over yet. The same jury that convicted her is going to be back in court this week. I'll tell you what's coming up in the case, next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KOSIK: New details of the Cleveland kidnapping case are right out of a horror movie. Police say the three victims were chained in Ariel Castro's basement, beaten and terrorized. One of the victims Michelle Knight told investigators she was impregnated five times by Ariel Castro and each time he punched her in the stomach until she miscarried.

Prosecutors say because of that they'll pursue aggravated murder charges against Castro. Joining us now live from Newton, Massachusetts, Wendy Murphy, a former prosecutor.

Wendy, in justifying these murder charges, prosecutors have cited an Ohio law that exists which permits murder charges in cases where unborn children are killed. How successful do you think prosecutors are going to be?

WENDY MURPHY, FORMER PROSECUTOR: Well, in terms of proving that it was in fact a murder of an unborn child and having that past constitutional muster, there is no question that's OK. Most states, well that's 38 states have laws that allow for murder charges to be filed when an unborn child is killed.

In some states the difference lies at the viability line. For example, in Massachusetts it can only be brought if the child is far enough long in gestation to be viable outside the womb. So it's fine to bring the charge. The real kicker here is whether they can prove death penalty charges. Because that raises a different constitutional question that the United States Supreme Court has never answered that and no one in this country right now is on death row for killing an unborn fetus. So you can bet this case will probably land before the Supreme Court if a jury finds her guilty and imposes death because the Supreme Court may want to answer the question is it cruel and unusual to imposed the death penalty against a person for killing an unborn human being, someone who isn't yet recognized in law as a full human being. I don't know the answer.

KOSIK: Would witness testimony be enough in this or would there have to be actual medical evidence?

MURPHY: Yes. Really good question. There's no doubt that we've seen convictions for murder in this country of live born people where the body never shows up and those cases are - they land with guilty verdicts. Those people are imprisoned. Some get the death penalty. The fact that they may not be able to prove that there was a fetus or even necessarily that he knew and then there was a miscarriage and then he did something with the remains, all they need is for the victim to say, "I told him I was pregnant. He punched me in the stomach and I had a miscarriage." That's enough. If the jury believes her, that's enough to prove the charge beyond a reasonable doubt.

KOSIK: OK. There's been a lot of criticism of how the Cleveland Police handled this case. Many saying they didn't do enough to search for these victims. Could there be any civil action taken by these women against the city?

MURPHY: Boy, don't you wish? You know, the answer is civil lawsuits against the police for failing to do a good investigation are extremely difficult, if not impossible, because they enjoy immunity. Almost perfect immunity under what's called the Castlerock Rule, even if cops know that someone is in danger and they just don't do anything about it, you can't sue them. So it is a tough case. The only possibility I see here is if you can show that the cops intentionally didn't do a good job in violation of these women's civil rights.

In other words, they looked the other way because of their gender or their ethnicity or their race. Then you get a good lawsuit, at least you can file a good lawsuit on the grounds that their constitutional civil rights were violated but we don't yet have evidence that the police even if they didn't do a good investigation didn't do a good investigation because they were discriminating against the victims.

KOSIK: OK. Wendy Murphy, thanks very much for your insight.

MURPHY: You're welcome.

KOSIK: O.J. Simpson wants a new trial. We're going to tell you the argument his lawyers are making that could actually see him take the stand this time.

Plus, the IRS is being used as a political tool? It HAS happened before but did the agency target Tea Party groups that tried to get tax exempt status? Candy Crowley knows what's going on in Washington. I'll ask her.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK) KOSIK: The IRS is facing a taxing issue of its own. A report coming out this week shows IRS agents were targeting Tea Party and other conservative groups when they applied for tax exempt status. Let's bring in Candy Crowley, anchor of "State of the Union." Cindy, you spoke to Senator Susan Collins, she is a moderate Republican from Maine.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

COLLINS: This is truly outrageous and it contributes to the profound distrust that the American people have in government. It is absolutely chilling that the IRS was singling out conservative groups for extra review.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KOSIK: So Candy, this was going on from 2010 through last year. The IRS says there were mistakes made but that it was not politically targeting Tea Party or conservatives. Will the IRS get a pass or does this smack of the Nixon era and Watergate times when the White House was accused of using government agencies to go after its enemies?

CANDY CROWLEY, HOST "STATE OF THE UNION": I think the first answer is no, the IRS will not get a pass. The second answer is we don't know. The problem is the IRS being used to target people has happened in more than the Nixon administration. It has this horrible feel to it. It is something everyone can understand. We don't know the scope of this.

The IRS says this was a small group of agents, we didn't really know the details of it. But the IRS had said to Congress, the IRS commissioner had said to congress, listen, no one's being targeted. So this will -- has yet to play out but I don't think there will be a pass here.

KOSIK: Because you say there won't be a pass, what could be the repercussions for the IRS in this situation?

CROWLEY: Well, the IRS won't go away, that much we know. I mean I think, you know, we're going to look and see who knew what when. I think those are the important points when you talk about the hierarchy of the IRS and whether or not the agents who did this now remembering that the IRS says this was not intended to be political. It was intended to kind of sift through various groups. So again, you have to see how that plays out and how people feel about it but it is something I think that the White House knows to at least get ahead of.

KOSIK: OK. The other issue that's abuzz in Washington is the Benghazi hearing. GOP House members say there is much more going on here, even suggesting that the Obama administration refused to send any military help to save the lives the ambassador and others killed in the attack on the consulate last December. Democrats say it is political posturing designed to hurt Hillary Clinton's chances if she runs for the White House. Who do you think is right?

CROWLEY: I think in the end they're both right. Policy in Washington can hardly be separated from the politics that surrounds it. So even if you assumed everyone in Washington had lofty goals about trying to find out what happened, let's face it, this is serious business. This is about the deaths of four Americans. This is about the honesty of the U.S. government and its word to the American people.

Those are big issues so that's a policy. But even big policy things with pure motives have political implications. I think it is pretty clear from some of the ads we've seen, from some of the things from Rand Paul, who may run in 2016 for president, said about Hillary Clinton, it is pretty clear that there are political implications out there and that Republicans will play them.

KOSIK: All right. Candy Crowley in Washington, thanks. And a happy mother's day to you.

CROWLEY: Hey, happy mother's day to you, too.

KOSIK: Their brother has been called a monster and worse, but they say they have nothing to do with the alleged Ohio kidnapper.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

PEDRO CASTRO: If I knew that my brother was doing this, I would not be - I would not - in a minute, I would call the cops.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KOSIK: More of our exclusive interview with Ariel Castro's brothers right after this.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KOSIK: Welcome back to the "CNN Newsroom." I'm Alison Kosik. And if you're just tuning in, thank you for joining us.

We want to update you on that breaking news, back to the mother's day parade shooting in New Orleans. Our affiliate WGNO is reporting at least 11 people have been shot but no one has been killed. The victims suffered only minor injuries. The youngest victim believed to be only 10 years old. Police say three suspects were involved. And we'll go ahead and update with you more information on this shooting when we get it.

Now to a CNN worldwide exclusive. When Ariel Castro was arrested on charges of kidnapping and raping three women for over a decade in his Cleveland home, police also arrested his two brothers showing their faces to the world. In the minds of many, all three men were monsters.

But last Thursday police released arrested Pedro and Onil saying neither man had anything to do with the alleged abductions and torture of Amanda Berry, Gina Dejesus and Michelle Knight. Now for the first time since their release both sat down and talked exclusively with CNN's Martin Savidge about their brother and their ordeal. They are grateful that the three women and the six-year-old girl are finally free and safe but they are haunted by missing clues, haunted by the media and receiving death threats for something they say they did not do.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

SAVIDGE: Do you worry now that people will always suspect that you actually did have a role?

ONIL CASTRO: Absolutely.

PEDRO CASTRO: Yes.

ONIL CASTRO: And the people out there that know me, they know that Onil Castro is not that person, has nothing to do with that. Would never even think of something like that. I was a very liked person, individual. I have never had any enemies. No reason for anybody to think that I would ever do something like that. It's a shock to all my friend. They couldn't believe it.

PEDRO CASTRO: Same. I could never think of doing anything like that. If I knew that my brother was doing this, I would have -- I would not be -- I would not -- in a minute, I would call the cops. Because that ain't right. But yes, it's going to haunt me down because people going to think, yes, Pedro got something to do with this. Pedro don't have nothing to do with this. If I knew, I would have reported it brother or no brother.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

KOSIK: You can see much more of Martin's exclusive interview, including hearing the one strange rule they say Ariel Castro demanded his brothers follow when they were inside his home. Plus you are also going hear what they say happened when one brother confronted Ariel about the mysterious little girl that looked so much like him. That and much more beginning tomorrow morning at 7:00 a.m. Eastern on CNN's "Starting Point."

These are the stories trending online today. Seth Meyers has a new late night gig. He'll be the new host of NBC's "Late Night." Meyers takes over for Jimmy Fallon who will begin hosting the "Tonight Show" early next year.

In Canada, several homes have been destroyed by a massive wall of creeping ice. The ice moved in suddenly taking residents by surprised. No one has been injured but the homes have been evacuated.

Billionaire Richard Branson is sporting the bright orange uniform of his Virgin Atlantic flight attendants. Branson dressed up as a stewardess yesterday and served drinks on a flight to make good on a Formula One bet he made with a friend. Branson says he had fun but he's glad it is over.

There is a vote scheduled for later this week in the Republican led house. It is another try to repeal Obama Care. Also Mitt Romney makes an appearance on Jay Leno and Mark Sanford cements his political comeback. CNN's political editor Paul Steinhauser takes a look at how it is all going to come together.

PAUL STEINHAUSER, CNN POLITICAL EDITOR: Hey Alison. The House of Representatives is expected to vote again this week to try and repeal the Affordable Care Act, better known as Obama Care. The Republican- controlled house has voted more than 30 times to repeal parts or all of the national health care measure since passed into law three years ago.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

REP. JOHN BOEHNER, (R) HOUSE SPEAKER: Obama care is going to drive up the cost of health care, drive up the cost of health insurance.

STEINHAUSER: The White House and Congressional Democrats obviously disagree. So what do you think? One of the most recent polls suggest Americans are divided with 41 percent approving of the law and 46 percent opposed. And as you can imagine, that Quinnipiac University Survey, like all the rest, indicates a wide partisan divide.

Also this week, Mark Sanford comes to Washington Wednesday to get sworn in. The former South Carolina governor whose career was left for dead following an infamous affair, last week won election to a congressional seat he once held.

Now how about this for an odd couple? Britain's Prince Harry teams up with New Jersey Chris Christie. As part of his U.S. visit Harry will join with the tough talking Republican governor to tour parts of New Jersey hard hit last year by Hurricane Sandy.

And Mitt Romney makes a rare appearance in the media spotlight this week. Last year's GOP presidential nominee joins Jay Leno on late night television.

Alison.

KOSIK: Thanks Paul.

Hollywood and high fashion they are joining forces but not on the runway. Actress Halle Berry and designer Michael Kors are teaming up with the U.N. World Food Program to fight global hunger all to impact your world.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

HALLE BERRY, ACTRESS: I'm Halle Berry.

MICHAEL KORS, DESIGNER: I'm Michael Kors. As a designer, I'm fortunate enough to do what I love. There is not even a question that part of that equation is that you have to give back. This is a solvable problem. The food is there. You can change someone's life immediately. With the World Food Program we're talking about doing what I've been doing in my backyard but globally.

BERRY: I care so much about women and children. We are finding that we do have a voice and we do have a way to help each other. It is so important what happens to the baby while they are in utero. Good nutrition during that time period is fundamental. They are helping to educate women about that fact.

KORS: The problem with hunger is often about getting the food to the people who need it the most. The U.N. and World Food Program they can go anywhere. They have the man power and they have the food.

BERRY: We can work together and we really can make a difference.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

KOSIK: There's a disturbing new report from the Pentagon. Reports of sexual assault in the military are up 35 percent. But we're going beyond the numbers. I'm going to talk with a brave woman who is telling her story of sexual assault in the military.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KOSIK: An Air Force officer who was in charge of a unit aimed at preventing sexual assaults in the military has been charged with sexual battery. Lieutenant Colonel Jeffrey Kosinski was in court on Thursday but he did not enter a plea to charges he allegedly grabbed a woman inappropriately in Arlington County near the Pentagon. Arlington County police say the woman fought off her attacker and called police. Kosinski is set to go on trial in July.

The unit Kosinski ran is part of an overall move by the Pentagon to combat the huge problem with Pentagon assaults within the military. According to a new Department of Defense report released this week 26,000 military service members are sexually assaulted each year. The woman I am about to introduce you to is painfully aware of how prevalent is and says not enough is being done to prevent sexual assaults.

In 1988 Brigette McCoy was a private in the army. She served in the Signal Corps in Germany. She was just two weeks away from her 19th birthday, when she was raped by a senior officer. A year later she was sexually assaulted by another soldier in her unit. It didn't stop there though. She was also sexually harassed by two officers who were in her direct line of command.

Earlier this year McCoy testified to a Congressional Committee. She said when she filed a formal complaint about the harassment she felt like she was the one being punished.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BRIGETTE MCCOY, ARMY VETERAN & SEXUAL ASSAULT VICTIM: I received more reprimand for not passing a PT test during my time than the perpetrator of sexual harassment and sexual assault toward me received with me filing official papers to my command. There is no standardized -- if you assault someone, if you sexually harass, these are the things that are going to happen to you in an absolute and finite way.

(END VIDEOTAPE) KOSIK: Brigette McCoy is also the founder of a support group called Women Veterans Social Justice. And she joins me now. Thank you for coming in and sharing your story with us.

MCCOY: Thank you so much for having me.

KOSIK: You know we've seen these congressional hearings like the one you testified at and the defense secretary just last week expressed outrage over these sexual assaults. There is a lot of talk about this but you say not enough is being done to prevent these assaults. Explain why this is.

MCCOY: Well this isn't something new. We've been having these types of issues since before 1991 but we had the Tail Hook, we had all of this has been going on for 15, 20, 30 years and the same rhetoric is being said, we're going to do something, this is -- we're going to handle this. And it is not. There's not being substantially done because the numbers are rising of people who are being sexually assaulted in the military.

KOSIK: What's the solution here to prevent these sexual assaults in the military?

MCCOY: Well I think it is going to take more than one thing. I think absolutely we have to prosecute and absolutely they have to follow through with the prosecution and those people need to serve time. Besides that I think that we absolutely need victim support. It needs to be something that is with teeth. It doesn't need just to be just somebody that is counseling the service member but someone that's there to protect them while they're serving.

KOSIK: It is not easy to come forward.

MCCOY: No it is not.

KOSIK: I mean especially in the military. It is just not easy. Why especially in the military is it hard to come forward?

MCCOY: Because there is a system in place that you have to report to your chain of command. And what we are finding is that even though people in the chain of command are really pushing the orders forward to prosecute, somewhere up the chain of command even further someone is pushing saying, no, we don't need to do that. We saw that with the Lieutenant Colonel Wilkinson issue. It is amazing to me that you could go through this whole process to have someone just say, no; we're not going to go along with those rulings.

KOSIK: Your grandfather served in World War II. Your father served in Vietnam. You proudly followed in their footsteps and you say that you still love the military.

MCCOY: Absolutely.

KOSIK: Are you optimistic though about the future of the military, about change, when dealing with these sexual assaults? MCCOY: I said it at the Senate. I'm cautiously optimistic. I believe now that the president has come on-board and is saying in an absolute way this will not be tolerated and the first lady is meeting to put some things in place to change things, I think that the national attention will be more. Because people won't say that this is just some small thing.

I mean the president has chimed in on it. It is not a little thing that just a few people have stepped forward and said this is a problem. The number, 26,000, we are just talking about just this year. If you start adding those numbers up every single year and go back ten years and you just hypothesize it for the last ten years this has been happening, that's 260,000 people. I mean we have those numbers; it is a huge, huge issue.

KOSIK: All right. Brigette McCoy thanks for being with us. Thank you for your service to our country.

MCCOY: Thank you.

KOSIK: Could O.J. Simpson be let out of jail? It is exactly what his lawyer are asking for. We are going to tell you why they say he didn't get a fair trial the first time around.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

(UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE): Hi. I'm special Kish (ph) from Afghanistan. I just want to wish my mother and my ma a Happy Mother's Day. I love you guys.

B. ANTONIO: This is B. Antonio from Kandahar, Afghanistan, saying Happy Mother's Day to Miss Vanessa and Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and everyone else in the tri-state. Happy Mother's Day.

SPECIAL RIVERA: My name is Special Rivera with 37 in Afghanistan. I'd like to say Happy Mother's Day to Sandra Rivera. She lives in Cleveland. I love you, mom.

DALE WAGNER: I'm PNC Dale Wagner. I would like to give a shout out to my mom, my sister and the mothers out there on Mother's Day. Happy Mother's Day and y'all have a good day.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

KOSIK: O.J. Simpson says he wants a new trial. His new lawyers claim there were so many problems with the last one that he should also be set free. Paul Vercammen explains.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

PAUL VERCAMMEN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): These are the last images of O.J. Simpson in public being led out of a Las Vegas courtroom to prison in late 2008. Simpson was convicted of kidnapping and armed robbery for leading armed men into a hotel room to try to settle a dispute over sports memorabilia he wanted back. Simpson was secretly recorded during the confrontation which became part of the 2008 trial testimony. Simpson's new lawyers will argue their client was so horribly represented in that kidnapping trial he deserves a new trial and freedom.

PATRICIA PALMS, SIMPSON DEFENSE ATTORNEY: We firmly believe he did not get a fair trial. I think that's going to bear out during the hearing. We want the judge to take a fresh look at this, what should have been presented before, what wasn't presented, what was said, what wasn't said.

VERCAMMEN: Simpson is expected to take the witness stand this week. That's something he never did in the Las Vegas kidnapping trial or his sensational televised trial in 1995. Where he was acquitted of murdering his ex-wife Nicole Brown Simpson and her friend, Ronald Goldman. Other witnesses expected this week are the now retired prosecutors in the Las Vegas case and Yale Galanter, who was Simpson's lead attorney in the kidnap trial and a formal ally. Simpson's new lawyers will argue that Galanter had a conflict in interest in part because of his business dealings with the football star. Simpson has been housed at the Lovelock Correctional Center in Northern Nevada. His lawyers call him a model inmate.

PALM: It's common in the prison system; there will be different factions that don't get along with each other. Because of his status as a celebrity, and his personality, he's sometimes mediates between different groups when they're having conflicts.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

VERCAMMEN: Simpson is now hoping his new legal team will spring him from prison for good.

Paul Vercammen, CNN, Las Vegas.

KOSIK: OK. Let's talk about sports and what a weekend it's been in baseball from the special moment at Fenway Park in Boston to the league honoring moms everywhere on Mother's Day. CNN sports Andy Sholes is here with today's "Bleacher Report."

ANDY SHOLES, CNN SPORTS: Boy Alison it was a Red Sox game that brought Heather Abbott to Boston on the day of the bombings. After the game she was getting a bite to eat near the marathon finish line when the second bomb went off. Abbott lost part of her left leg in the explosion. She had been in the hospital rehabbing until yesterday when she made her way back to Fenway. Abbott threw out the first pitch to a standing ovation. Despite everything she's gone through, Abbott has found a way to remain positive.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

HEATHER ABBOTT, BOSTON BOMBING VICTIM: Because I've never really thrown a pitch before. I decided there's nothing I can do about it. That it's -- the situation I've been dealt and the best way to overcome it is to focus on recovery.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

SHOLES: We also saw a very special moment in Chicago yesterday. Guinea Paige thought she was randomly selected out of the crowd to throw the ceremonial first pitch. And right after she took the mound, her daughter Amanda who is in the navy surprised her out on the field. Now Guinea hadn't seen Amanda in 16 months. Made for a great Mother's Day surprise.

If you watch any major league baseball games today, you are going to see plenty of pink, teams are breaking out the paint bats, gloves and wrist bands on Mother's Day to support Breast Cancer Awareness. Major league baseball also adding a new tradition to the mix this year the baseball youths today will have pink stitching instead of traditional red. This is the eighth consecutive year for MLB to use the pink theme. Tomorrow many of the bats used today will be auctioned off for charity. That will do it for the "Bleacher Report." Alison back to you.

KOSIK: What a great celebration. Thanks Andy.

Just ahead we'll turn back to one of our top stories. Ohio women who made it out of captivity and people around the world watched as the story of these three young women in Ohio played out. We are going to take a look at how it all happened.

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KOSIK: Tomorrow marks one week since the heroic escape from captivity of Amanda Berry, her daughter, Gina DeJesus and Michelle Knight. The events in Cleveland this past week have revealed an almost unimaginable crime perpetrated by an alleged monster who hid in plain sight for over a decade. We want to take a look back at how we got here.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

AMANDA BERRY: Help me. I'm Amanda Berry. I've been kidnapped and I've been missing for ten years and I'm here. I'm free now.

CHARLES RAMSEY, SAVED 3 MISSING WOMEN: The girl Amanda told the police, I ain't just the only one. There's some more girls up in that house.

(UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE): I have a female on the phone that says she's Amanda Berry and that she was kidnapped ten years ago.

(UNIDENTIFIED MALE): Gina DeJesus also. We also have a Michelle Knight in the house.

(UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE): A very emotional day especially for Amanda Berry's family.

TASHEENA MITCHELL, AMANDA BERRY'S COUSIN: I thought about her every day and I knew she would come home.

(UNIDENTIFIED MALE): What an incredible night in Cleveland. A night where you can truly believe that miracles really do happen.

(UNIDENTIFIED MALE): Prosecutors announced they are charging Ariel Castro with four counts of kidnapping, three counts of rape.

TIMOTHY MCGINTY, CUYAHOGA COUNTY PROSECUTOR: The law of Ohio allows for the death penalty for those most depraved criminals who commit aggravated murder during the course of a kidnapping.

RAMSEY: We seen this dude every day! I mean every day!

(UNIDENTIFIED MALE): How long have you lived here?

RAMSEY: I have been here a year.

ERIC POINDEXTER, SAYS HE CALLED IN TIP TO POLICE: It seemed like they was looking at us like we were just looking for attention.

(UNIDENTIFIED MALE): The police.

POINDEXTER: Yes. They didn't seem to give any real true desire to the case. Know what I'm saying?

DEPUTY CHIEF ED TOMBA, CLEVELAND POLICE DEPARTMENT: I'm just very, very confident in the ability of those investigators and those law enforcement officers that they checked every single lead. They followed it up very, very aggressively.

ANGIE GREGG, ARIEL CASTRO'S DAUGHTER: My husband and I are in complete disbelief that the friendly, caring, doting man I knew as my daddy was in fact the most evil, vile, demonic criminal that I have met or heard of.

BETH SERRANO, AMANDA BERRY'S SISTER: I just want to say we are so happy to have Amanda and her daughter home. I want to thank the public and the media for their support.

(UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE): There she comes on the other side.

NANCY RUIZ, GINA DEJESUS MOTHER: My first reaction as I saw my daughter -- only thing I did was grab her and hug her. I didn't want to let go. Until this moment -- for me, I still feel as if it is a dream.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

KOSIK: It is hard to imagine what parents of missing children go through but one man knows all too well. Mark Klaas, the father of this little girl Poly, she was abducted and murdered twenty years ago. I will be talking with him next hour. Stay right here.